Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Deciding what to order at a restaurant has become increasingly difficult because of ever-expanding menus and the human stomach's refusal to growl in English. Narrow down your cravings with today's Groupon: for $25, you get a three-course dinner of eclectic international fare at mÄmbu (up to a $51 total value). The three courses include one small plate (up to a $12 value), one item selected from the Bowls & Things section (up to a $12 value), and one entree from the regular menu (up to a $27 value).
Amid kaleidoscopic décor illuminated by colorful lights, mÄmbu melds a medley of international recipes into an eclectic menu forged with locally grown produce and grass-fed beef. Owner Anita Hartel reshapes the menu regularly according to seasonal offerings, often turning to her garden to fetch vegetables local enough to teach the restaurant's freshly caught seafood how to speak with a Southern accent. Begin tempting trilogies with a small cheese plate, pairing a trio of cheeses from just beyond the Kentucky border with a mélange of seasonal fruit ($12), before diving into Eastern-inspired mussels suffused with a spicy coconut-curry sauce ($10). A mulberry reduction and rosemary-tomato jam play subtle background melodies behind the sweet sounds of seared duck breast ($27), and gorgonzola bread pudding and Howell's Farm green beans watch from the side of the plate. Hayes Street–style paella merges shrimp, mussels, chorizo, and assorted seafood in a zesty tomato broth atop saffron rice for a traditional Spanish flair ($21).
Situated within a cozy vintage home, mÄmbu's enticing eatery decks a quartet of dining rooms with décor ranging from colorful and eclectic to subtle vintage adornments. A trinket wall bears a range of flea-market finds, including fishing nets, Barbies, and multicolored Christmas lights that have broken out of their pine-tree prisons. A covered outdoor patio lavishes loungers with its serene aqua-hued seating. Though not included with this Groupon, the menu pairs each seasonal dish with a palate-balancing wine selection, and an array of innovative cocktails magnifies martini glasses with locally distilled gin and vodka.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Feb 6, 2012. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Dine-in only. Extra fee for daily specials. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About mÄmbu
Anita, mÄmbu's owner, cast a wide net across Southeast Asian, French, and Cajun cultures to cull international influences and weave them together in inventive fusion fare. She has been a proud Nashville resident for more than two decades and has been immersed in the restaurant business since she was 17 years old. Although she spent many of those years in the kitchen, she now serves as the face of the restaurant, inviting guests into the quaint blue house that mÄmbu makes its home.
The restaurant's seasonal, imaginative entrees and small plates crafted from local produce and grain-fed beef are expertly paired with red and white varietals selected from an international wine list. The eclectic dining room includes accents such as upside-down lampshades, rich crimson curtains, and a wall decorated entirely with trinkets such as string lights and dolls that have busted out of musty curio cabinets. An expansive covered patio and the intimate Hideaway Bar also host international feasts. mÄmbu is a member of Nashville Originals, a troupe of local restaurateurs dedicated to maintaining Nashville's reputation as a creative culinary destination by increasing the visibility and viability of locally owned eateries.